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The Federal Skilled Worker Program in Canada will end at the end of this year, giving candidates interested in skilled immigration less than three months to apply.
The program is based on a points system, which it is hoped will mean that only candidates who are likely to establish themselves successfully in Canada will gain entry. To be eligible for the program you need to gain enough points and meet one of the basic eligibility requirements:
- Work experience in one of the '50 eligible occupations'
- In some circumstances employment in Canada.
- Enrolment in a PhD program in Canada.
As well as the points system there are also minimum requirements, which every candidate needs to meet in order to apply:
- At least one year (1560 hours) work experience in the same occupation within the past ten years.
- Ability to pass a language test.
- A Canadian diploma, or international equivalent.
- Sufficient funds to support yourself and your family after arriving in Canada.
There is no limit to the number of visas that can be issued to people with a job in Canada. There is a cap on the number of visas that can be issued in each occupation under the eligible occupations sub-category, many of which are already nearing their limit. Successful applicants will gain permanent residence.
The Federal Skilled Worker program will be replaced in January by the Express Entry system. Under this new system, candidates will be added to a pool of applicants who qualify for one of the following programs
- Federal Skilled Worker Program
- Federal Skilled Trades Program
- Canadian Experience Class
- Provincial Nominee Program
The best candidates in each pool will then be hand-selected for visas, which will reportedly be processed within six months, instead of the current processing time of around a year.
Sanwar Ali, of Workpermit.com says 'It is still unclear how this new system will play out: one of the advantages will be the quicker turnaround for the top candidates who are selected. However there may still me many candidates left in the pool uncertain of whether their visa will be approved.'
